This invention relates generally to self pressurized dispensing fluid containers. It is for a valve that is intended to dispense fluids and pasty materials at low pressure from the types of containers in which the discharge pressure is provided for by means of an elastic sleeve. Such a container is described in a U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,829 that was issued to Hyman Katz.
In the past most self pressurized containers have been of the aerosol type in which the dispensing pressure was provided for by means of a gas. In order that there was enough gas in the container to completely discharge all the contents of the container, it was necessary to use a gas that could be put under enough pressure to maintain it as a liquid while it was in the container but it would become a gas when the pressure was reduced by the opening of the discharge valve.
There has not been a low cost gas available that would operate as desired at quite low pressures and most available gases that have been used in aerosol containers have been environmentally unsatisfactory or are dangerous to use.
Because it was necessary to use rather high pressures in the aerosol containers, the contents of the container came out usually as a squirt or a spray. Most of the valves that have been used have been designed for higher pressures and usually have very fine orifices in order to properly control the high pressures and therefore such containers have been limited to handling thin liquids or very fine dispersions.
The type of container that uses an elastic sleeve for the pressurizing energy as is described in the Katz patent has the unique advantage that any desired pressure down to almost zero can be obtained by simply making the elastic sleeve with the required thickness.
There are many products that should flow easily out of a container rather than squirting or spraying; for instance, the products could be foods such as catsup, mustard, salad dressing, etc. or non-foods, such as toothpaste, soap, lubricants and many other materials.